Guest of Honor Badges

[Tinkerbelle99]

Hello!

Our first ever trip to Disney is fast approaching, I am so happy to have found this board and have gotten alot of great advice.

Now I have a question, here goes...

I would love to get one of the Guest of Honor Badges for our DD (age 4). I saw them on a website recently for approximately $30 (including shipping, etc.). I really had my heart set on getting one of these for her, and hope that someone can let me know if they are actually cheaper in the WDW parks (and where I should look for them).

Thank you in advance for all your help!

 

[HollyJoy]

I know you can get them in the park. If my memory serves me right, I think about $5-7. I thought I read on this board someone saying they found them for $12? Anyway, I have seen them cheaper than $30. Here are a few links to check out:

Mainstreetmegastore--$22



Gifts of a Lifetime --$8.98 each

Hope this helps!

 

[Tinkerbelle99]

Thanks! These prices sound much more reasonable!

 

[nowellsl]

I would definately wait and get it at WDW. I know they have them at the Christmas store in DTD. Hollyjoy is in the right ball park, they were around $6 or $7.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I also saw the banner ad for these, but didn't know what they were for.

 

[wilderness01]

I got them for my kids. They are at MGM. The store attached to the place you buy your pictures that were taken in the park. I think they were $6 each and you can get them engraved. $30 is a rip off. Good luck.

 

[disney funseeker]

In Nov. 2003 we paid $5.50 each. We bought them at the Days of Christmas Store in downtown disney.

Our girls did get a lot of extra conversation from the CM's and were always surprised when CM's knew their names. I think it was also because we went during low season.

I bought my 3 nephews GOH badges for their Christmas trip and apparently they didn't get much notice. Probably high season that made the difference.

 

[WDWKim]

We were there in Sept 2002, and I had surprised my whole family with the Guest of Honor Badges (got them at the Christmas store in Downtown Disney). I told them surprises would happen to them. What a disappointment.........besides one or two cast members saying hello, that was it. It wasn't do to being to crowded, as a matter of fact it was a perfect time to go, we didn't have to wait in line for anything. The only thing I can figure, is maybe it has something to do with the kids ages, mine were 11 and 13 at the time.

 

[trstno1]

You should visit the GOAL website - the GOH badges have changed. If you want one of the Mickey badges, you should probably order now before they are all gone. If you'd rather see the new badges that come with different characters, you might be better off waiting.

 

[heathrow42]

Just called WDW merchandising (407.363.6200) and found out that they do still sell the Red Mickey GOH and Blue Pooh GOH in the parks at 12 Days of Christmas and at a shop in MGM -- however, you can no longer purchase them ahead of time through wdw merch. They are $5.

I knew I had seen them 2 weeks ago, and wanted to make sure, as we are planning to get them for our nephews in April

--Heather

 

[Lorix2]

I'm sure not trying to start a debate here, but I'm wondering: Don't you worry about the bad kind of people that might be calling your children by name? I know it's Disney, but things can happen anywhere.

I thought hard about the tags for my kids, because I thought if the CM's interacted with them and called them by their name they'd feel special and all that...but it weighed heavily on my mind that my youngest would feel that since people greeted him by name and we encouraged shaking hands and being friendly to the CM's or whoever else in the park, that the message I was sending to him was that it was ok to approach anyone who recognized his name and would undermine everything we've been teaching him about strangers. It's so hard to know the right thing to do. Of course, we'd be with him, but if he got separated and a creep saw that, they'd be able to call him by name and my child I think would be comforted by that and go along willingly with the promise of being reunited with us. CM or not.

I'm certainly not bashing any parent here, that's not my intention, I'm just wondering if you've thought about this for the younger children.

 

[angel's momma]

Lorix2,

We had the same concerns, not just with the GOH badges at wdw, but with personalized clothing in general. We spoke with DD6 (she was about 5 at the time) and was surprised that she already knew that just because someone knows her name, it doesn't make that person o.k. She said she learned it on PBSKids. Hopefully we'll never have to test this out, but our personal plan for if we are seperated (anywhere, not just wdw) is for her to stay put & not go off with anyone. I realize others would not agree with that plan, but it is what we have chosen for ourselves.

 

[Lorix2]

angel's momma - no personalized clothing here either.

PBS Kids is invaluable, my kids love it and learn from it too.

Thank you because I have also told my kids if they're lost in WDW to find a cast member, but never thought to tell them to stay put and wait.

We just went over that and I'll continue to remind them of that when we go somewhere. I reassured them that we would look for them the last place that we were together.

Like you said, hopefully we'll never have to utilize this plan.